Football: Hope for Indian football? AIFF confirm Indian Super League start date

by Devesh Jaganath

image Football: Hope for Indian football? AIFF confirm Indian Super League start date
At long last, Indian football clubs, players, and fans have been given a reason for optimism, with the All India Football Federation finally confirming that the Indian Super League season will commence next month. The new season will be shortened and operate with limited resources until a new financial partner is secured.

Revised 2025-26 ISL season to commence on February 14

After months of delays, disappointment and uncertainty, there finally seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for football in India, with the Indian Super League, the nation’s top-tier competition, now set to kick off on February 14, and we will be covering every match in our ISL predictions. 

The announcement was made on Tuesday morning by Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports in India, following an emergency meeting of the All India Football Federation earlier this week. 

All 14 clubs, including last season’s I-League champions Inter Kashi FC, who earned promotion to the ISL, were made aware of the decision via a virtual meeting and were presented with two proposals regarding how the season could progress. 

Given that the AIFF have yet to secure a new commercial partner, this season is expected to be about survival mode for the league and players. As a result, the first option involved the league being run on a single home-and-away leg format, and the second being a centralised venue for all games. 

It is understood that 10 clubs have given the green light for the first option, while Odisha FC, Chennaiyin FC, Kerala Blasters FC, and reigning champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant have requested 24 hours to provide a response. 

Financial structure and ISL format for the 2025-26 season

Digging deeper into how the ISL is expected to survive without a new commercial partner, ₹24.26 crore will be required to run the league under the revised format, of which the AIFF have committed to covering 40% of the cost (₹9.70 crore). President of the AIFF, Kalyan Chaubey, explained: 

“A ₹25 crore central pool has been made for only the conduct of the ISL. 10 percent of this fund will come from the AIFF, 30 percent was to come from a commercial partner but since we don’t have them on right now the AIFF will pitch in with that contribution. In all, the AIFF will give ₹14 crore for ISL and about ₹3.2 crore for I-League till we find a commercial partner.”

It was also confirmed that the ISL will operate on a promotion and relegation format as instructed by the Supreme Court. Additionally, ₹9.77 crore is expected to be set aside for broadcasting matches, which is significantly lower than previous seasons. 

Finally, the AIFF explained that it would approach the AFC for an exemption, given their current situation, as the AFC requires all nations from the region to play at least 24 matches to qualify for continental competitions, such as the AFC Champions League Elite.